How does a speculative office building with a core-shell budget of $115/SF match the design quality of its neighbor, a university research building with twice the budget? Located next to the University of Cincinnati’s Digital Futures building (DF1), the Digital Futures Office Building (DF2) connects industry researchers to leading academics in efforts to solve real world problems. It needed to express technological innovation and creativity. But technology and architecture move at different speeds. How does a building express technological innovation without dating itself? And how does it do so on a budget? The design resolves these challenges through creative repetition of a few simple elements.

A simple box with a series of folds: its mass shifts at the third floor to share the sun with Digital Futures 1, filling the pocket park between the two with light and creating a shared place for collaboration. Distinguished from the white fins of its neighbor DF2 it is clad in black panels that shift to white, silver, and gold as they’re transformed by the light of the sun. Rhythmically dressed, the upper floor’s folded panels flip and rotate to generate impressive visual complexity. Black glazed terracotta panels clad the first two floors, creating a durable base that reinforces the shift in massing. Through strict adherence to a four-foot module, the project uses only two profiles for each cladding, minimizing waste and resulting in an efficient manufacturing and installation process.

Interior spaces offer daylight and views onto the vegetated grounds, connecting researchers to nature and inspiration. With parking tucked under the development, a well landscaped green roof opens the site for public use while reinforcing its connection to the Cincinnati Innovation District. The pocket park between DF1 and DF2 fosters informal connections between researchers while a larger plaza hosts public events, connecting to the neighborhood and the ecological corridor. Walking paths and fitness equipment on the grounds help busy researchers maintain their health and well-being.